


Lost Angel

by F1_rabbit



Series: Tattooed Angel [3]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:35:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: The angels have new assignments, but there seems to be an ever-increasing number of demons on Earth...





	1. Time to Begin

The smell of gloss paint cut through the stench of stale sweat and beer. "Stop summoning demons in the frat house, Chad."

"This one will help us get women," he said, "Or do you not want to get some bitches, Todd?"

There was a holler as the rest of the frat gathered round, staring at the pentagram on the floor.

"Garrett and Blake have the meat for the demon," Chad said, "And we're going to get laid!"

There was a cheer as Chad started chanting in Latin, sprinkling a glowing blue powder around as he did it.

In the centre of the pentagram the air started to smoke, and then there was a flash of white light.

When the light and smoke cleared, there was demon standing in the middle of the room.

There was another cheer, and the demon looked at them, smoke coming out of their nose as they inspected their surroundings.

"Let's go get some bitches!" Chad cheered and the others joined in.

The demon held up their hand, and silence fell over the room. "That is no way to talk about women."

"Dude, what do you care?" Blake said, shrugging as though there wasn't a demon standing in front of him that could rip him apart limb by limb.

"I am Zepar. You summoned me, so you must obey my rules." Zepar stood tall, his horns touching the ceiling as he looked down on the frat boys. "If you do not treat potential mates with respect then you do not deserve to mate."

There were a lot of pale faces, and all of them looked at little paler when Nico burst in through the window, throwing a small glass vial filled with a glowing white liquid at Zepar's feet.

They disappeared in a flash, light distorting as they were sent back to their universe.

"Zepar meant what he said, if you treat women badly, he'll come back and rip your dick off," Nico said, smiling as the frat boys all looked very pale.

Nico turned to walk away, ignoring the broken window when he paused. "And Kyle, same goes with guys…"

Everyone turned to stare at Kyle, and Nico hesitated, but then he heard, "You could have told us, dude."

There was cheering and drinking going on when Nico left, heading home, and he felt a strange sensation, like a feather brushing over his cheek.

"I'm proud of you," Kevin said, and Nico looked around, but he couldn't see him. Kevin was still in his original form, which meant that he was invisible on Earth.

"I love you." Nico was standing at the pick-up place, and he felt Kevin wrap around him like a cape.

"I love you too."

***

"Jehudiel, long time no see."

"Lucifer."

Lucifer stroked at his grey goatee, and Jo stood up so that he could give Lucifer a hug. It had been hundreds of years since they saw each other, and it was coincidence that they were both here working, out of all the places on Earth that they could have ended up.

"It's good to have you joining the department of science," Lucifer said, and Jo wondered how he'd got away with keeping his own name while working in this universe. Although eccentric and professor went hand in hand, and an unusual name was almost part of the charm. But Jolyon was quirky enough for him, especially with the British accent. Jehudiel was a step too far.

"So what has you working here?" Jo asked, sipping at his coffee as he watched Lucifer grin.

"Some old, same old." Lucifer laughed and there was no better word to describe it than devilish. "Just making sure that everyone gets all the information that they need."

"You always did like playing devil's advocate." Jo laughed at his own joke, marvelling at how much things had changed on Earth, and yet some things had stayed the same.

Lucifer's job looked simple on paper, stop religion from spreading lies to oppress certain groups, but in reality it was a huge task. Although he'd been playing the liberal college professor since the thirties, just with a slightly different name every ten years or so as he shuffled around between universities in Europe and North America.

"Who'd have thought it would be so hard to make them aware of climate change?" Lucifer rolled his eyes, and Jo nodded, sometimes if he thought about it too much he was aware that humans had a very short-term outlook on life.

Marcus strolled over, smile on his face as he saw the coffee waiting for him.

"Marmaroth, how are you liking Earth?" Lucifer wiggled his eyebrows, and Jo was amazed that he got away with saying things like that. Although his eccentricities covered a lot of it, and all the students just assumed that it was an act.

"It's Marcus now." He sipped at his coffee, and a gaggle of students strolled past, all saying hi to Lucifer. Marcus kept smiling, but Jo could see that he wasn't quite happy with his new assignment, and Jo didn't know what to do about that. It wasn't quite the same now that Karael and the others were assigned elsewhere, but Jo had thought that as long as the two of them were together, that would be enough.

But it didn't seem to be true.

*

That night Jo was making a cup of tea when Marcus got back from practice, he was volunteering as the ice hockey coach. It wasn't part of his assignment, but he enjoyed it, and there was plenty of time to do both.

Jo made sure that he ate, but he could see from the wrinkles on his forehead that there was something on his mind.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jo asked, fidgeting with his cup of tea as Marcus slowly looked up at him.

"In bed?"

Jo nodded, he was already in his pyjamas, but he knew what sort of blanket Marcus needed tonight, and he stripped off his top, letting his wings out as Marcus got undressed. He made sure that Marcus was cocooned in his wings before kissing him on the end of his nose, which never failed to make him smile.

Marcus relaxed with Jo's soft wings brushing against his skin, making him feel safe and loved as he let out a deep breath while cuddling into Jo.

"I miss being a firefighter," Marcus said, absently tracing Jo's scars with his wings. "Not that I don't like teaching history, and I wouldn't want to be separated from you, but…"

"It's just not the same, I know." Jo squeezed Marcus tight, the smell of dry ice lingering on his skin from the rink.

"I was good at it." Marcus' words were soft, and he yawned, stretching his wings as Jo did the same.

"You're good at this too," Jo said, stroking his hair as he shivered. He pulled the blanket over them, making sure that his wings were still wrapped around Marcus as his eyes started to close.

"It's so human, but I love you."

"I love you too."

***

Nico was lying on the floor, gasping for breath as the demon was sent back to its own universe. He tried to stand up, but the effort was too much and he slumped back down onto the ground.

Kevin rushed over to help him, and he helped Nico sit up against the wall, both of them ignoring how filthy the alley was. As his heart rate slowed the smell of the bins overwhelmed him, and Nico realised how much he wanted some fresh air.

"Still enjoying this?" Kevin asked, stroking a stray strand of hair out of Nico's eyes.

Nico smiled, coughing when he realised that taking a deep breath in rancid air was a bad idea.

"Wouldn't change it for the world."

Kevin helped Nico to his feet, and his phone beeped. "We've got another one. Think you can manage it?"

"Lead the way." Nico held out his arm, and Kevin laughed, heading for their pick up location so that they could be transported home, and then to a new location on earth.

*

While they were home, Nico had a chance to get a shower, and some clean clothes, although time moved differently in their universe compared to the universe that Earth was in.

Nico wasn't sure when he started thinking of this place as home, rather than the universe that he was born in, but everything had fallen into place so easily that he felt comfortable here. Although he was happy to be anywhere that Kevin was.

"I've got the details." Kevin waved his phone, and Nico nodded. They would have to meet up with one of the local angels once they got down there, but it least they had somewhere to start.

"Let's go kick some demon ass." Nico smiled, and Kevin reached out to hold his hand.

It was easier to travel between universes while they were holding each other. Kevin still remembered how scared he'd been when he accidentally dragged Nico to another universe, and he didn't want a repeat of that.

They landed in a quiet corner of a public park, and they strolled out into the day like a couple on holiday, searching for the nearest location that angels would use to meet.

A familiar face was sitting at the table waiting for them, Stoffel, in a police uniform, but it wasn't the same uniform as he'd had before. It must have been a new assignment, although Nico wasn't entirely sure where they were. Stoffel smiled when he saw them, waving for them to come across, and as they sat down, Stoffel pushed a slice of cake in Nico's direction, which earned him a smile.

"Long time no see." Nico smiled as he took a bite of the cake, it had been a while since he'd got to have any.

"How did the clean-up go?" Kevin asked, and Stoffel shook his head, smile on his face.

"Crazy, making sure there's no loose ends is much harder than it appears." Stoffel sipped at his coffee, raising an eyebrow as he leant in so that he could whisper. "I had to make it so that there was four separate accidents."

Nico was counting something on his fingers, and he looked confused. "Shouldn't there have been five?"

"Dan and Dany were easy to do as one, everyone had assumed that they were dating anyway." Stoffel shrugged, and Nico wasn't sure that he wanted to hear any more about how Stoffel faked their deaths. It was bad enough knowing how his own death happened.

"We don't have time for this." Kevin held out his phone, ready to take down all the information.

"I don't have a lot," Stoffel said, "One of the other angels noticed something strange happening to a neighbour."

"What have they seen?" Nico asked, although he knew that appearances were deceptive, a lot of demons hid in plain sight, and covered their trails so that humans wouldn't notice them.

"Things moving on their own, strange messages written in the mirror, and there appears to be stray cats swarming the garden, but no-one is putting food out for them, they're just showing up."

Kevin looked thoughtful, noting it all down as Stoffel finished his coffee. "Thanks for the info."

Stoffel slid a piece of paper across the table, and Nico stuffed it into his pocket, scoffing the last of the cake as they all stood up to leave.

"Good luck, and stay safe." Stoffel nodded goodbye as he put his hat back on, and Kevin shot him his cheekiest grin.

Kevin had no concept of safe, only loyalty and duty, which was why he was a demon hunter.

*

It was a twenty minute walk to the address that Stoffel had given them. A block of flats that were clearly built in the eighties, but had been well-maintained over the years.

Luckily the neighbour lived in the ground floor flat, and it made it easy for them to check to see if she was in.

There was a worrying amount of stray cats in the garden, Nico lost count at thirty, but there was no sign of the cats fighting or being territorial, they were just sitting there staring at the flat.

They slunk round the side of the building, checking out the windows, when Nico saw that it was open. There was no-one around, and Nico gave Kevin a boost up, before making sure that they were still alone and following Kevin into the flat.

It looked like an average flat, tidy and clean, with the fridge fully stocked and a freezer full of home cooked meals ready to be reheated.

"They're tidy, and organised, but there's no sign of anything demonic." Nico wandered through to the bathroom. "Spoke too soon."

There was something written in the mirror in an unfamiliar language, and Nico studied it intently, but he could only guess what language it was, with no actual idea what it said.

Kevin rushed through, staring at the mirror before laughing.

"What's so funny?" Nico tilted his head in confusion, and he folded his arms as he waited for an explanation.

"It's Arabic, it says 'Good luck with your interview, you can do it,' and 'Have a nice day,' which aren't really demonic."

"Is she writing the messages for herself?" Nico couldn't figure out why a demon would leave nice messages for anyone, and the best explanation that his mind came up with was reverse psychology, but even then it seemed a bit strange for a demon.

"No." Kevin wandered back through to the living room, and Nico noticed the number of cat ornaments and other cat-related pictures, cushions, blankets and books that she had.

Kevin pushed one of the ornaments off the end of the mantelpiece, smirking as it magically moved back into place. Nico's eyes were wide, and he tried to figure out if Kevin had the power to do that, but his thoughts were interrupted.

There was the sound of keys in a lock, and they both glanced over at the open window before quietly bolting towards it, slipping out as the window shut itself behind them.

Nico sat silently as they heard someone moving around in the flat, talking to themselves, most likely in Arabic, and Nico waited until he heard the sound of running water before speaking.

"What was that?" Nico whispered, looking at Kevin as he blinked, his brain trying, and failing, to make sense of it all.

"It's not a demon, thankfully." Kevin sat down against the wall, making sure that neither of them could be seen from the window. He was sure that Stoffel wouldn't thank them if he got called out to investigate two men apparently stalking her.

"If it's not a demon what is it?" Nico asked, watching through the window in confusion. They ducked back down, and Kevin leant in so that he could whisper to Nico.

"A faerie. The humans put us into three categories, those from another universe that came to do good, they called angels. Those that came to do bad, they called demons," Kevin said, and Nico nodded, listening carefully, "But those who were neither good nor bad, humans found a host of names for them, most have slipped into myths and folklore, but they have all visited Earth at some point in the past, that's how the stories started."

"I'm glad it's not another demon," Nico said, peeking up so he could check to see if the coast was clear or not, "There's been so many lately, all focused on this time period, and I don't like it."

"I don't like it either, but it's the job."

***

Dany was searching through endless text books, looking for the information so that the lawyers could build a case. It wasn't a glamorous assignment, although he was happy with his books, and Dan seemed to be perfectly suited for the job as a lawyer, his outgoing personality made it easier for the jury, and often the judge, to like him.

He'd spent hours researching the intricacies of contract law, for a case that was strange to say the least.

Dany yawned, scrunching up his face as he sipped at his cold coffee, glancing at the time. Gone one in the morning. He groaned, he had to be back here at six, it almost wasn't worth going home, but Dan was at home, which meant he'd gladly travel there, even if it meant that he got less than an hour to actually spend with him.

Just the thought of curling up in Dan's wings had him out the door and heading home, glad that the traffic was sparse at this time of night.

Dany wondered if Dan was prepared for his day in court tomorrow, and he hoped that the others were having luck on their assignments.

He wasn't the only one.

*

There was old, tatty furniture scattered around a cave, a sheet of fibreboard leaning against one wall with an assortment of photos attached to it.

Each photo was of one of the angels, taken at a distance, as they went about their day.

There was one of Nico and Kevin crouching down below a window, in the process of demon hunting, and another of them having cake with Stoffel.

Newspaper articles about Dan's court cases were there, along with pieces from journals that Jo and Marcus had been published in.

The cave looked barren, but there were hoof marks in the sand, someone had been here recently.

A whiff of smoke appeared and something landed with a thud in the darkness.

*

Dany was glad that he'd been drinking coffee all day, it kept him awake on the drive home, but the second that he pulled up in their driveway he felt his eyes starting to close. He stumbled into the house, planning to collapse in bed as soon as he was in, and hoping that Dan didn't have his wings sprawled all over the bed like usual.

While he was slipping his shoes off he smelt something strange, but it had been warm and his shoes were sweaty. He stumbled over something on the way to the bedroom, but he didn't want to put the light on and wake Dan if he had a long day in court tomorrow.

The strange smell got stronger, and he wrinkled his nose as he wondered if the toilet was backed up again.

Dany reached out for the light, there was no way he could sleep with that smell.

He blinked a couple of times to make sure that he was seeing things right, and it wasn't just a hallucination brought about by lack of sleep and too much coffee.

The flat had been ransacked, someone had turned the place over, but they didn't have anything valuable here, it was all just for show while they were down here on assignment.

He checked to see if there was any messages from Dan, although he would have just gone to the neighbour's if the place wasn't safe. They often walked the neighbours' dog for them, and it was the closest that they were ever getting to having pets.

Dany was putting his phone away when he wandered into the living room. The sofa was turned upside down, its fluffy white filling scattered all over the room, and the glass coffee table had been shattered, but that wasn't what caught Dany's attention.

There was something scrawled on the wall in blood.

"I will see you all in hell."

Dany moved closer so that he could see what was stuck to the blood, he'd assumed it was fluff from the sofa, but his blood ran cold when he saw what it was.

Feathers. Dan's feathers.


	2. Killing Time

Dany was sitting at home, his real home, but it felt empty without Dan. He'd found a single white feather wedged between the cushions on the sofa, and he'd ended up crying over it, even though he had no way of telling if it was Dan's or his.

All the angels in the Melbourne area had searched for Dan, but they'd had no luck, not even a feather.

Jo had come and scanned the flat that they were using while on assignment, and all signs pointed to the fact that someone had opened up a portal to another universe in the living room. But Jo couldn't tell him who or what had travelled through, or if they'd taken Dan with them when they left.

So now, all that was left to do was wait, and it made sense that they waited back in their own universe. They could monitor Earth from here, and the other universes, more easily than they could from Earth. It also meant that the other angels could keep an eye on Dany. This was the first time that a bonded pair had ever been separated, and no-one knew what would happen.

Marcus rushed in, they didn't bother with locks when they could bend the very laws of physics themselves, and he wrapped Dany up in his wings as the tears started to flow.

"How are you? Jo told me everything." Marcus held Dany close, stroking his tears away with his wing.

"I can't believe that Dan's gone." Dany sniffed, collecting himself as he tried to get the words out. "He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye, so that means…"

Dany couldn't bring himself to say out loud all the horrible thoughts that were running through his head. He didn't want to make them real, and although superstitions weren't something that they had in their culture, he'd been on Earth so long that he'd picked up some of their mannerisms.

Kevin and Nico appeared in the room, Nico stumbling as he landed, he still hadn't got the hang of moving in five dimensions, although Dany was amazed that he managed to deal with it all without going insane. It was a lot for a human mind to take in.

"We got told there was an emergency," Kevin said, sitting down next to Dany so that he could wrap his wings around him, and Nico managed to stretch a wing out so that it was resting on Dany's shoulders.

"Dan's missing."

Dany told them everything as the others cocooned him in their wings. Nico flinched when he mentioned what was written on the wall, and Kevin froze, turning to look at Nico.

"Something's wrong." Kevin couldn't put his finger on it, but something just didn't feel right. "There's been lots of demon sightings in a narrow time period."

"When?" Jo asked, and they all turned round to see him sitting in the chair, with no idea how long he'd been there for.

"From when Kevin came down the first time, until we got the new assignment." Nico looked as confused as everyone else in the room, and he realised that his concept of time was limited compared to the other angels.

"May 2015 through to the end of October 2016, Earth time." Kevin smiled at Nico, a brief flicker of the lips that let Nico know that it was all going to be okay, but the wrinkles on Jo's forehead said otherwise.

Jo was shaking his head as he tapped away on his tablet, and Nico held his breath as he waited for an explanation.

"Given that Kevin wasn't continuously on Earth for that whole time period, he probably isn't the reason for the increased demon activity, but…" Jo looked down at his hands, and Dany let out a sob.

"But what?" Dany's wings flapped and Marcus and Kevin tried to calm him.

"But there's nothing else that corresponds with that time period, nothing that would explain the extra traffic between universes. No solar flares, no abnormalities in the Earth's orbit, nothing."

"So how do we find Dan?" Dany looked so young, so human, and Jo compressed his lips.

"I don't know."

*

With a lack of any better plan, the angels headed down to Melbourne to see if there was any sign that Dan had returned to the flat, and they made sure that everyone knew to contact them if Dan appeared at home.

A tear ran down Dany's cheek when he saw the state of the flat, it had been left exactly as it was, so that they could investigate further if they needed to.

Jo was unpacking equipment, it looked familiar but Dany couldn't quite place any of it. "I'm going to set up the quant-"

"Jo will find out where the portal went," Marcus said, reaching out to rest his hand on Dany's shoulder.

"Yes." Jo nodded, and went to work, now that it was all set up it looked much like the device that Jo had used to send Kevin to wherever his soul was, and bring him and Nico back after it had all gone a bit wrong. There were wires everywhere, and they connected up the five poles with more wires and components attached to them.

Kevin was studying the writing on the wall, and Dany couldn't bear to look, it was different when this happened to other people, but now that it was personal, he couldn't just go into police mode.

But he knew that he was going to have to, for Dan.

Dany wandered through to the kitchen, and Nico was making coffee, although he knew that Nico's skills were of best use elsewhere.

"I'll do this, you should go help Kevin." Dany listened to the sound of the kettle boiling, and he felt the tears flow, his head banging against the cupboard as he felt the sadness wash over him.

The tears were still flowing when someone wrapped their wing around him, and for a second he thought it was Dan, but then he opened his eyes and saw the lilac wings that shimmered in the light.

Dany spun round, ready to attack the unfamiliar wings, when he saw Stoffel standing there in a police uniform.

"Stoffel? I didn't know you were assigned here?"

Stoffel sat his hat down on the counter, rushing in for a hug as he slipped his wings back in. "I'm really sorry."

Dany shook his head, he still couldn't figure it all out. There were so many questions running through his head and he didn't have any answers.

Marcus appeared, and he wandered over to join the hug, but static electricity shocked him when he made contact with Dany and Stoffel. He shook his hand, it was strange, but after fiddling with all of Jo's gadgets Dany wasn't really surprised.

"Jo's all set up, Kevin and Nico are going to go and see what's in the other universe." Marcus reached over to get out the cups, they were all going to need a lot of coffee if they were going to find Dan, and figure out why he was taken.

Dany couldn't stop thinking about why, and he knew that it was the key to it all, but his mind came up blank.

Marcus wandered back through to the living room with four cups of coffee balanced in his hands, and Dany just stared at the two mugs that he'd left for them.

"Drink," Stoffel said, "It'll help you feel more human."

Dany howled with laughter, manic, hysterical shrieks as the absurdity of it all caught up with him. This was most likely a human crime, an attack against Dan because of his work as a lawyer.

But then why had someone recently opened a portal to another universe in their living room?

None of it made sense.

*

Kevin held Nico's hand tight as they prepared to travel to another universe. It was easier this time, even though they didn't know where they would end up, at least they knew that they were together.

They arrived in a system of caves, red sand on the floor, and Kevin felt that he recognised the place, but so many worlds looked like this one. It was common on planets with thin atmospheres, that most of the beings who inhabited it would live underground, rather than risk the harsh glare of their nearest star, and the freezing cold of outer space.

Nico wrinkled his nose at the thick air, the smell of sulphur making him gag as he got used to it. He pulled his jumper up over his mouth and nose, and he seemed to adjust to the atmosphere quickly after that.

There were paw prints in the sand, and Kevin nodded to Nico as he fidgeted with his glasses.

"Could they have come through and taken Dan?" Nico asked, but Kevin just shook his head.

"Unlikely, I've encountered this species before." Kevin picked at something slimy on the wall, and it jogged Nico's memory.

"The inside-out wolf?"

Kevin nodded, wiping his fingers on his t-shirt. "They're not smart enough to have the technology to travel between universes, the only time they can is when portals are left open and they accidentally wander through."

"So something else is here?" Nico looked behind him, but it was just his shadow, even in the low light his angel vision seemed to be able to see clearly. Although his human body still needed the glasses, and Nico wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to being able to perceive five dimensions simultaneously. So far he'd only got occasional glimpses of the other dimensions, and every time it had given him a migraine.

"I don't know." Kevin chewed on his lip, Nico had never seen him so worried, although he'd not seen Kevin when he thought that he'd left Nico stranded in alternate universe, or worse.

They wandered about for over an hour, Earth time, and apart from a couple of inside-out wolves scurrying around, there was no sign of any life forms that were capable of travelling between universes, or even the technology required to do it.

In the end they resorted to yelling Dan's name, but there was nothing apart from a few growls and snarls.

Kevin let out the breath that he'd been holding, and he shook his head. "We should go back, we're more use there than here."

Nico nodded, reaching out for Kevin's hand as he hit the button for them to return to the universe they had just left.

*

Dany had thought about filing a missing person's report with the local law enforcement, but there were so many things that he wasn't able to explain that it would only cause more hassle.

In the end he'd called work and told them that there'd been a bereavement in the family, so Dan had rushed home to organise the funeral. It was all lies, but he couldn't think of a better excuse at such short notice. 

Dany loaded up Dan's laptop, checking through all of his case files to see if there was a human link to all of this.

Jo was monitoring the device to make sure that Kevin and Nico were able to return to this universe safely, and Marcus was scrolling through Dan's previous assignments as an angel to see if there were any links to what had happened here.

Stoffel had made more coffee, and been out to get food, and Dany smiled when he remembered all the good times that he'd shared with friends over food. Especially with Nico, wherever he went there seemed to be food. And trouble.

Dany sniffed as he nibbled at the biscuit, compressing his lips as Stoffel sat down next to him.

Stoffel turned to face him, and Dany knew what was coming. "I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me everything about this assignment, and if there's anyone who might have a grudge against Dan, human or otherwise."

Dany told Stoffel everything, but apart from those that Dan had come up against in court, there was no-one else that he could think of. The neighbours were nice, and their colleagues were amicable, but there weren't many other angels down here.

And that was when it all clicked into place.

Dany shook his head, wondering why he hadn't put it all together until now. "The other day, I was taking paperwork to be lodged at the courthouse and I saw Dan talking to someone before court. Naaririel."

Jo looked up and Dany could see that they were all thinking the same thing.

Marcus flew into action, tapping away on Jo's tablet as he sent all the information home. They would know if Naaririel was missing too.

Dany sat tapping his fingers against the coffee table, and even though he could tell it was annoying the others, he just had to do something. If only they had some course of action it would make things easier. But all the not knowing, all the guessing, it was torture to Dany.

Stoffel reached out to hold his hand, and Dany tried to relax, but it wasn't going to happen until Dan was back by his side.

Naaririel appeared, looking at the strange equipment scattered around the living room before focusing on Dany.

"Dan's missing?"

Naaririel seemed genuinely concerned, but he'd fooled them before, and Dany wasn't sure that he could trust him. He had to keep telling himself that he had to do whatever it took to get Dan back, and if that meant trusting Naaririel then that was what he'd do.

"Yes. What were you two talking about the other day?"

"Nothing much." Naaririel flicked a strand of blond hair behind his ear, he looked like he should be wearing a crown from the way he was standing, and Dany didn't like his attitude.

"You wouldn't be down here on Earth if it was just for a chat, there had to be something significant." Dany could feel his rage bubbling up and he took a deep breath, reaching out for a biscuit that he demolished angrily. He could see why Nico was always eating, it had a lot more uses than just sustenance.

"Dan thought that someone was stalking him, but he couldn't tell if they were human or not." Naaririel sat down on the chair, making himself comfy as Stoffel offered him a biscuit, but he declined with a wave of the hand, still looking regal. "He got a message home asking if anyone had been assigned to watch over him, and he was told that it wasn't one of us. But then he asked for any information on demons that might have come through. It wasn't his assignment, but I took him the list anyway."

"You'll get in trouble." Dany said, nodding to his tracking bracelet. He'd been on probation for what seemed like the longest time, although with spending so much time on Earth, Dany's sense of time was rather skewed at the moment.

"Probably, but given what's happened, it'll be for not telling my supervisor what was going on, rather than coming down to Earth when I shouldn't have." Naaririel shook his head, and Dany could see what he was thinking, they all believed that they could save the world, and it was hard realising that not everything was that simple.

"Do you have a copy of the list of demons?" Marcus asked, still tapping away on the tablet.

"I'll send it to you when I get back home." Naaririel disappeared into thin air, home to their universe, and the tablet beeped to say that it had received the information.

"I'll crosscheck it with all of Dan's previous assignments, see if anything comes back." Marcus set it all into action as Stoffel went to get the food out of the oven.

No-one wanted to eat, but they knew that they had to keep their strength up.

Kevin and Nico returned just as Stoffel was bringing the last of the food through, Nico had an uncanny ability for always being around for food, and Dany was glad to see them both. Them travelling to an unknown universe had brought back a lot of bad memories, and he couldn't keep the worry from his face.

"There was no sign of anything apart from those inside-out wolves," Kevin said, as Nico tucked into a burger, stuffing chips in after it.

Nico shook his head, and he could see that he was thinking, no doubt trying to figure out a tactful way to ask a question.

"Can't you feel Dan? Like, in the way I can feel Kevin?"

"I've tried, and I can't feel anything, but all that means is that he's far away." Dany slumped down in his seat, the exhaustion clearly catching up with him. "Your bond isn't like ours, we don't share a soul."

Nico nodded, mumbling his apologies, and Dany sat up so that he could reach over to Nico, he knew that Kevin and Nico were the best of chance of getting Dan back, even if it wasn't a demon that had taken him, they both had the skills to track down human suspects.

"You should get some rest," Stoffel said to Dany, leading him to the bedroom, as Jo nodded.

"I've got data to go over, but it'll be easier to do it all at home." Jo gave Marcus a kiss on the cheek, and Marcus made himself comfy on the sofa, he was clearly staying to guard them.

Kevin looked at Dany, rushing in for a hug before they left. "We've got to go back, there's still demons to track and banish, but we'll get Dan back, I promise."

Dany felt the tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't promise what you can't deliver. The only thing worse than not knowing, is false hope."

***

Going back to work after the news about Dan had been hard, but they had to keep the world safe, and lately it seemed like there was an ever-increasing number of demons coming through.

They were currently sitting inside a church, waiting for a demon to show up, when Nico spoke.

"Maybe it's because more people are learning Latin?" Nico smiled, and Kevin snorted in laughter, before glancing around to check that they were alone. It was an old, majestic church, with beautiful stained glass windows and a scene on the ceiling that must have taken a lot of skill to paint.

"Luckily for us, it doesn't work that way." Kevin shook his head and wondered what would become of the world if more people knew how to summon beings from other universes. It would be chaos, and there was no way that they could keep up. Even with Nico helping him, they were right on the limit of dealing with all the visitors from other universes right now.

The priest wandered out, and he smiled when he saw Kevin and Nico sitting in the front pew.

"Hello, it's always nice to see new parishioners." The priest sat down next to them and Kevin smiled.

"I'm Kevin, and this is my human friend, Nico."

The priest froze at the mention of the word human, and Kevin threw the banishing solution at the priest's feet, sending him back to his own universe before he even had a chance to run.

Kevin brushed his hands off, watching as the portal closed. "That was easy."

A little too easy, Nico thought, but he didn't want to say it out loud and tempt fate.

Kevin tapped away at his phone, Jo had managed to incorporate whatever technology his tablet used to communicate with their home universe into smartphones, and they were now standard-issue for angels that were working in other universes.

It was nice having a little more access to information, although it meant that they had to guard their phones at all times. They didn't want any of it falling into the wrong hands.

"There's no rest for the wicked," Kevin said, glancing around as he went to leave. He passed a glass cabinet on the way out, and he saw a book that he recognised, one about how to destroy a demon.

Kevin took out his phone, loading up the maps as he waited for it to confirm what he already knew. They were in Malmö and it was too much of a coincidence that they ended up here.

"What's wrong?" Nico asked, and Kevin showed him the map as a shiver ran down his spine.

"It's just a coincidence." But Nico didn't sound convinced.

*

They'd been home just long enough to change, but the look of worry hadn't left Nico's face since they banished the demon.

But the worst was still to come.

They'd appeared in a graveyard, and there was something familiar about it all. Trees were swaying in the wind, scattering their red and orange leaves. Nico was staring at something in the background, and Kevin followed him as he wandered up to it, his eyes never leaving the gravestone.

His gravestone.

Kevin stood next to him, his arm wrapped around his waist as Nico took a moment to let it sink in.

"Do you regret your decision to stay an angel?" Kevin asked, he'd never found the time to talk about it with Nico, he seemed to enjoy his a job as a demon hunter.

"No, not for a second." Nico leant down for a kiss, his arms wrapping around Kevin as though they were wings. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiled at how human it all was, but it was a part of Nico, and it was a big part of their relationship, even if they were both angels now.

Kevin glanced over at the church, and Nico nodded, it made more sense if they split up.

"I'll see you back here in fifteen minutes."

Nico blew him a kiss, and Kevin caught it, smiling to himself as he wandered into the old, empty church. From the sign it was only used a couple of times a week apart from weddings and funerals, although that didn't reassure him.

It was a small building, nowhere near as grand as the church in Malmö, and it didn't take him long to check that it was empty. There was no upper level, or basement, just a hall and an office, with a small toilet hidden at the back.

He wandered back out into the graveyard, the clouds gathering as he looked up to see Nico standing by his own grave again.

"No sign of the demon?" Kevin asked, staring at Nico as he strolled up the path.

"No." It was clearly Nico's voice, but the Nico he was staring at hadn't moved his lips.

"Nico?" Kevin looked over to see Nico emerging from the tree line, and he darted towards the imposter, this demon was clearly powerful if he could take Nico's form.

Nico was running across to help, and Kevin punched the demon as he went to call out, warn Nico to stay away, but the demon wrapped his hand around his throat.

Kevin could feel the pain but he knew he wasn't going to suffocate, so he used the time to work out his next attack. His feet were no longer touching the ground, but that meant that they were free.

He caught the demon square in the balls with his foot, scrabbling away as he grabbed for the liquid to banish it.

When he looked back up Nico was fighting the demon, and he couldn't tell which one was his Nico.

"Freeze, or I'll banish you both." Kevin stood tall, his feet squarely planted in case the demon tried anything else.

Neither Nico looked bothered at the thought of being banished, although Kevin knew that he would feel the same if it meant keeping the Earth safe from demons.

"Both of you drop your trousers." Kevin wasn't smiling, but both of the Nico's were grinning. "Do it, or I'll banish you."

Normally the sound of zips being undone would have Kevin hard and ready to go, but this was a very different situation. He held the little vial of liquid higher, hoping that it would make them move faster.

Nico's eyes went wide, and he dropped his trousers, letting Kevin see the scar by the base of his cock, shrapnel from an explosion that they'd been caught up in while hunting a demon that liked fire.

Kevin threw the banishing solution at the demon's feet, waiting for him to disappear before wandering towards Nico. The real Nico.

"You recognised me from my cock?" Nico zipped up his trousers, checking that no-one had seen what just happened.

"It's a very lovely cock." Kevin's big grin sent a spark of lust through his body, but they had a job to do.

Nico leant in for a kiss, but he couldn't keep the feeling of unease from twisting his stomach in knots. "It felt like he was waiting for us."

"We need to go and talk to the others, this is too much of a coincidence." Kevin dragged Nico behind a tree, allowing them to disappear back to their own universe without being seen. They sent out the word to all meet at Jo's new assignment, since he was the one who understood most about how to travel between universes.

*

Kevin strolled up to where Jo and Marcus were sitting drinking coffee with Lucifer, they'd clearly not got the message.

"Karael, Nanael, how are you?" Lucifer asked, and Nico looked round to see who he was talking to.

Lucifer pointed at him, and Nico pressed his fingertip to his heart. "Me? Oh yeah, Nanael, angel name."

Jo looked at his phone, and he raised his eyebrows as he glanced at Marcus.

"Sorry Lucifer, we've got to go and save the world."

Lucifer laughed, waving goodbye as they headed towards Jo and Marcus' flat. Stoffel and Dany were on the way, and Kevin had a worrying thought.

What if all this was just to get them off their main assignments? Although what good did it do getting rid of a lawyer, and a police officer, as well as a couple of professors?

Kevin headed straight for the dining room the second that they were through the door, and from the sound of the voices, Dany and Stoffel were already there.

"Did you get the map?" Kevin asked, and Dany cleared some of the files that were scattered everywhere.

There was a map sprawled out on the table, with everywhere that they'd been on assignment marked on it in different colours.

"Jo? Do you have a list of all the demon attacks from the time period that I gave you?" Kevin was moving things out of the way so that he could mark off all the locations that Jo read out, and it became clear that there was definitely a pattern to it all.

Nico whistled, and everyone turned to look at him. "Someone's hunting us, looking in all the places that we've previously been on Earth."

"But why?" Kevin couldn't make sense of it all. "And why would they take Dan to another universe?"

"Maybe they did that so we'd waste time following the wrong lead." Nico saw Dany flinch, but they didn't have the luxury of time.

"So we need to go back to that universe and check to see if they then travelled to another universe, or back to Earth." Kevin shook his head, and Jo rushed to his tablet.

Jo was frantically scrolling through endless lines of numbers and code, searching for something, and when he realised that everyone was staring at him, he explained.

"We log all the different universes, so that we know what's there and if there's anything that we need to watch out for." Jo tapped on the screen as his eyes scanned for the information. "That universe, is the one that you got your soul back from."

Kevin leant against the chair in front of him, but when he caught sight of Nico he put a brave face on it all, even though he knew that Nico would feel it.

"So what does it all mean?" Dany asked, his eyes darting between Kevin and Jo as Marcus draped a wing over him.

"I think I know who's behind it all," Jo said, staring at his tablet in disbelief. He held it up so that they could see the picture, and Dany fainted.

"Furfur."


	3. Time to Strike

Stoffel was gently shaking Dany in a bid to revive him, as everyone decided to ask their questions at the same time.

Jo held his hands up as though he was surrendering, and everyone stopped talking just as Dany came round. Stoffel helped Dany to a seat, before using his best police officer tone of voice to tell Marcus to go and get coffee for everyone.

"How is that possible?" Dany asked, as the sound of Marcus rooting around in the kitchen echoed around the flat. Nico went to help, and Jo started speaking several times before stopping again, clearly trying to keep the explanation simple for everyone.

By the time Jo had worked out the best way to tell them, they were all sitting with a cup of coffee, and cold left over pizza that was going to be their dinner.

"Kevin used his soul to destroy Furfur, and the energy of both their souls was flung to a far-away universe, never to be seen again."

"Until you got my soul back." Kevin rested his head on the table, and Nico stroked his hair, but there was nothing that he could do to take away the feeling of guilt.

"It looks like I got Furfur's soul back too, and now he's found a body for it." Jo rubbed at his eyes, it all made sense, and yet he hadn't considered it at the time. "It's all my fault."

"It's no-one's fault," Dany said, "What's done is done, now we have to focus on getting Dan back."

"How do we do that?" Stoffel asked, and Kevin smiled.

"Finding demons is what I do." Kevin downed the last of his coffee, before looking at Jo. "Can you send me to another universe from here?"

"Yep." Jo nodded, heading for the bedroom as Kevin followed. "It's going to take about twenty minutes to set up."

"Nico, can you manage the demons that are currently on Earth?"

"Sure, I was trained by the best." Nico smiled, and Kevin went over for a hug.

"Be careful."

Nico's brow wrinkled, knowing that someone was targeting them made everything feel more dangerous, even though they'd already defeated him once. "I will."

"I'll come with you," Marcus said, and Nico nodded, even though demon hunting wasn't technically Marcus' area of expertise, he was good at it when he had to be.

Kevin reached out to hold Nico's hands, staring into his eyes as he stood on his tiptoes for a kiss.

"I'll keep him safe," Marcus said, and Kevin laughed, breaking the tension.

There were hugs all round as Nico and Marcus waited for a portal home, and they disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Dany looking worried.

They were all thinking the same thing.

What if it was a trap?

*

Three demons later, Nico was running through an alley as Marcus followed him, chasing one of the inside-out wolves towards an abandoned building. So far they hadn't seen any humans, and that was for the best, although pretending to be animal control catching a diseased dog would probably explain most of it.

"Is it always this easy?" Marcus asked, as they surrounded the demon, Nico throwing the banishing liquid at its feet as a portal opened beneath it, sucking it back to its own universe.

"No, that's what feels wrong about it." Nico checked his phone, and he saw that there had been more demons reported on Earth. "It seems that someone has just left portals open for being to wander through, but I can't figure out why."

*

Kevin held Dany's hand tight as they fell through into another universe, Dany screaming the whole way as Kevin tried to comfort him, but it was hard while they were still falling. He'd tried to convince Dany to stay at home, but he wouldn't listen, and since they didn't know what had happened to Dan there was a chance that they could find him here.

Jo had given them a device that could scan for other angels, and any other multi-dimensional beings, although the odds of anyone else getting stuck here were slim.

"Dan."

Dany's voice echoed around the caves, mocking him as he heard Dan's name over and over again,

The glow of the scanner made the place look eerie, and Kevin looked at the two dots on the screen with disappointment.

"Why would Furfur take Dan?" What would be the point?" Dany followed Kevin through the caves, he didn't have any answers, and he was just glad that the monotonous beep of the scanner was keeping the local wildlife away.

There was the glow of red eyes peering at them, but there was no sign of Dan, or Furfur.

Kevin was hoping that they would see footprints, or even drag marks that would suggest that something human-like had been around here.

But there was nothing.

Kevin took his phone out, before realising that it wasn't calibrated for this universe and putting it away again.

Dany stopped walking, and Kevin turned to face him, unable to look him in the eyes.

"There has to be something that we can do?" Tears streamed down Dany's face, and his whole body looked like he was ready for a fight. "I'm not giving up. I've done everything to make the world a better place and all I ask is for Dan to be safe."

Dany thumped his feet against the floor, his fists clenched as the tears left streaks down his sand-covered cheeks. Kevin rushed closer, but he felt the floor rumble underneath him, the sand swirling down as he tried to reach out for Dany.

He caught hold of Dany's hand, just as he fell through the floor, and they landed with a thud, sand still piling on top of them as it settled.

Kevin held up the scanner, but there was only two dots on the screen, and he shook his head at Dany.

He looked around at the walls, and noticed that there was no way in or out of the cave big enough for a human, apart from the hole that they'd made in the ceiling.

And that wasn't even the strangest thing.

"How long do you think that he was watching us for?" Dany asked, peering at a photograph of him and Dan in hospital scrubs, their previous assignment before working as a lawyer and a paralegal.

Kevin pointed at a picture of himself with two Nicos. "He's still watching us."

"Leave everything as it is, we don't want him to know that we're on to him." Kevin left the rest unsaid, he knew that if Furfur was holding Dan hostage, he'd only keep him alive as long he was useful.

He took a few photos, making sure that he had all the information as he checked to see if there was any of sign of Dan in this universe.

They were messing up the sand so that their footprints were hidden when one of the inside-out wolves fell back through into its own universe.

"It looks like we have the perfect scapegoat," Kevin said, grabbing Dany's hand as he pressed the button to return to Earth.

Dany could have sworn that the last thing he saw before the blinding white light was Dan, but he knew that it had to be a trick of his mind. Seeing all the photos of them together and happy had made him wonder if he would ever have that again, if they would ever find Dan, or if he was destined to live forever not knowing what happened to him.

They landed in Jo's living room, shaking sand everywhere as Kevin rushed to show Jo and Stoffel what he'd found in the other universe. Leaving Dany slumped down in the middle of the room, tears falling as he wrapped his wings around himself.

Stoffel glanced over from the table to see Dany curled up in a ball, and he went over to comfort him, wrapping his wings around him as he led him through to the dining room. Even though he knew Dany would probably rather be alone, they needed everyone they could get working to get Dan back. And no-one knew Dan better than Dany.

Once Dany had a cup of coffee in his hands he looked a little more like himself, and Stoffel found a washcloth so that he could wipe the sand off his face.

Kevin kept reaching out for Nico's hand, only to realise that he wasn't there, and he frowned as he studied all the pictures, trying to work out the pattern to them.

"So he was following us, but he doesn't seem to be coming for the rest of us?" Kevin looked around. "He clearly knows where we are, so why hasn’t he taken us?"

"Why take just Dan?"

Stoffel looked around as the sound of Nico landing in the living room made the floor move.

"Am I in any of the pictures?" Stoffel asked, and Kevin scanned them all, checking for any sign of Stoffel.

"No, just the six of us." Kevin peered at them as Nico came to stand behind him, wrapping his wings around him as Kevin felt his whole body relax. "There's no photos of Jo without Marcus either."

"Makes sense." Stoffel shielded Dany with his wings, as Marcus reached out to hold Jo's hand.

"Of all the angels that helped destroy Furfur, Dan was the best target." Jo compressed his lips as he looked down at the pictures. "If he'd taken Kevin or Nico, they would be able to trace each other."

"Why not Marcus?" Dany asked, raising an eyebrow in apology.

"Because…" Jo cracked his knuckles, and Marcus wrinkled his nose. "I have been dealing with demons since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and I would have put up one hell of a fight."

Kevin's eyes went wide, and everyone turned to look at him. "Dany can handle himself in a fight, so Dan was the easiest one to take to have us all running around in circles while Furfur gets on with… whatever he has planned."

"But what is his plan?" Nico asked, holding Kevin tight in his wings as he tried to figure it all out.

"Why would he want us all to be on Earth?" Nico looked at the pictures, they were all clearly taken on Earth, the colours were unmistakable.

"He can't get to us in our universe." Stoffel shook his head, and Kevin could see the fear in his eyes, they all knew the risks with working in other universes, but none of them could ever have imagined this.

"So does that mean Furfur's here on Earth?" Dany shivered and Stoffel held him closer, making sure that he was wrapped up his wings.

"If that was the case, why send other demons?" Marcus looked confused, and Nico felt his blood run cold.

"Furfur's not on Earth, because he's planning on destroying it."

*

Jo had been scurrying around with various bits of electronic equipment for nearly half an hour, and no-one could get an explanation from him. Not one that anyone understood.

"We should all go back to our universe." Marcus didn't look happy about it. "We can deal with it all from there."

"What about Earth?" Nico asked, and he flinched when the others all turned to stare at him. "I know I'm not human anymore, but I don't really want to see the planet that I was born on get destroyed."

Jo looked up from a small box with two blue flashing lights. "It's not just the planet he's going to destroy, it's the whole universe."

"Oh."

Nico slumped down in a chair, wrapping his wings around himself as he curled up into a ball.

Jo reached out his arm, his mouth open as though he was going to say something, but he closed it again, focusing back on the flashing box that he was holding.

"I think I have an idea, but I'm going to need some help." Jo looked at Marcus, and he rushed to find his phone.

All Marcus said was, "We need your help," before hanging up, and Kevin wondered who he could have called that would understand that message. But he didn't have to wait long.

There was a knock at the door and Marcus went to answer it. "Hi, Lucifer."

Nico laughed to himself, shaking his head as tears streamed down his face. "Things have got so bad that only Satan himself can help us."

Jo and Lucifer chatted away, and Kevin felt helpless. He wished that there was something he could do, but all his attempts to find Furfur had failed, and the demons on Earth were a mere annoyance, something to distract them while Furfur put his evil plan into motion.

In the end Kevin went to make everyone coffee, which was appreciated, and he sat next to Nico, keeping him calm as Jo soldered a few things together. Kevin tried listening in to Jo's conversation with Lucifer, but he only understood half the words, and none of it made any sense to him.

"It's all going to be okay," Kevin said, wrapping a wing around Nico, and for the first time in his very long existence, he wasn't sure if he believed it.

Marcus looked at his phone and smiled. "All the other angels on Earth have been recalled. Hopefully it's not needed but…"

"If any of you want to go back to our universe," Jo said, "I suggest you go now."

Everyone shook their heads, this was personal, and they intended to stay until the mission was done.

"Okay. I have a plan, but you're not going to like it." Jo downed the rest of his cold coffee, wrinkling up his face as the others gathered around him.

"I can trace Furfur's soul, the same way that I found Kevin's, since they were both tangled up. And I can destroy it," Jo said, glancing at Dany.

"But…" Dany looked at Jo, his eyes wide as the rest of him was braced for a fight.

"But it will destroy the universe that Furfur is in, and if Dan's with him, then…"

"It'll destroy him too." Dany hung his head, a long time ago he'd sworn that he would do whatever it took to keep the world safe. But he'd never realised that one day he would have to sacrifice everything. "Will it keep the Earth safe?"

"Yes." Jo reached out to hold Dany's hand, and Dany could see the tears welling up in Jo's eyes, it was tearing him apart. If it was the other way round, Dany would have told Dan to do it to ensure the safety of everyone else. It was what needed to be done.

"Let's do it."

*

Jo had tried explaining what he was going to do, but no-one apart from Lucifer understood him. Nico was trying to make sense of it all but then Jo mentioned destroying the strings that held Furfur together. The strings that held the rest of the universe together.

Kevin reached out to hold his hand, and Nico felt tears run down his face. Was it really right to destroy another universe just to save his own?

He knew that universes were constantly being created and destroyed, by natural processes, it was just the way the laws of physics seemed to work. But playing God, for lack of a better expression, still felt wrong to him.

It didn't help that Satan himself was helping them set up the equipment to destroy another universe.

Nico carried some of the equipment down to the football pitches, which was deserted at this time of the night, the floodlights switched off now, leaving them bathed in just the glow of the full moon.

It felt like a battle between good and evil, except none of them were truly good, and none of them were truly evil.

Jo and Lucifer arranged the equipment around the field, each pillar was as tall as Nico, and probably as heavy, with thick cables snaking through the grass to connect them all together.

There were five of them, and Nico wondered why it always seemed to be five. The similarities to a pentagram were striking, and then he realised that the reason humans associated pentagrams and demons was probably because long ago, their ancestors saw angels doing something like this.

It all made sense in a way.

Nico watched as Jo finished setting up, Stoffel holding Dany close, his arms wrapped around him as though they were wings.

Jo wandered over to Dany, and it looked like he was going to say something, but no words came out, and he hugged Dany, a single tear streaming down his face as he walked back to the controls, his hand hovering over the button as he glanced at Marcus.

Nico held his breath as Jo hit the button, the air crackling with the electricity in the air and sparks started to fly from the pillars, charring the grass as the arcs of lightning grew, finding their way to the other pillars as an eerie blue light emanated from the centre of the pentagram.

The orb of blue light was rapidly expanding, engulfing the pillars as Nico stepped back, unsure of what would happen if it touched him, and the others seemed to be equally wary.

There ground started to rumble, and Nico shielded his ears from the low roar that felt like it would shake the very atoms of his body apart. But then he couldn't hear anymore.

Silence.

Nico dropped to the ground, and for a split second, the infinitesimally small time that it took to destroy a universe, he saw all his possible futures, stretching out in front of him like photos scattered on a table. He looked for a future where Dan was safe, but there was none, and the tears stung his cheeks as they fell.

There was a flash of white light, and then, nothing. Even the wind had died down and the animals had fallen quiet, stunned by the surge of energy from a dying universe.

Jo stared at the perfect imprint of a pentagram burned on to the field, and he almost laughed at how fitting it was since their football team was nicknamed 'the devils'.

"Do you think that we can blame the students for this?" Lucifer asked, and Jo smiled before letting out a sob, his body slumping down on to the ground. Marcus rushed over to comfort him as Nico wandered over to Dany, blinking as his vision cleared.

"Why are you crying?" Nico asked, and Dany only cried more. He knew what was coming, erasing Dan from all of existence meant that the memories they had of him would disappear too. It wasn't a surprise that Nico's memories went first, his three-dimensional brain wasn't meant to process all this.

Dany blinked, wiping the tears from his face as Stoffel wrapped his wings around him, and it felt good to have the one he was bonded to by his side.

The seven of them stood around, all looking at each other with confused faces.

"Anyone know why we're here?" Kevin asked, looking at the scorched ground. His eyes were darting around as he looked for any sign that they were in danger.

"We had to destroy a universe," Jo said, looking at the equipment.

Marcus cuddled in under Jo's arms, his eyes wide as he focused on Jo. "Why?"

"I don't know." Jo looked confused, and that didn't reassure anyone.

"Could it be a demon that's wiped our memories?" Nico shook his head, images flashing through his mind that made no sense.

"We should check in at home, see if they know what's happening." Kevin fiddled with his phone, requesting a pick up for the six of them, as Lucifer lay in the middle of the pentagram, he could deal with the fall out here on Earth for a short while.

*

Kevin slumped down in the chair, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of it all. They were in Jo's lab, and Nico still couldn't fathom all the things that he had lying around. Several bits of the equipment appeared to be blinking in and out of existence right in front of his eyes, and at least one thing seemed to be snaking out into the future, rushing over to Jo's hand as he assembled his new device.

"Why would we destroy a universe for no reason?"

"There had to be a reason." Nico reached out to hold Kevin's hand, the others gathered around him as they comforted him.

Kevin sniffed, and he turned to look at Nico, holding both of his hands as he stared into his eyes. "You have to make a decision now."

"I want to stay here with you." Nico couldn't believe that he had to choose, stay here in Kevin's universe, their universe, or go home to his Earth, the place where he was born. He had to pick one, because with Jo's help, they were sealing all the ways of travelling between universes, for everyone.

Lucifer had already picked a side, choosing to stay down on Earth and carry on his mission without any contact from his own kind.

Nico remembered the images that he saw, possible futures flashing through his mind, and he saw this happen, that there were alternate universes where he didn't have Kevin. Just the sight of them had brought tears to his eyes, and he knew that this was the right decision for him. "I want to stay here, for me, so that I can experience everything that your universe has to offer."

Kevin cuddled into Nico, wrapping his wings tight around him as he stroked the side of his face. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nico bit his lip as Jo flicked the switch, but nothing happened, no flash of light or sparks of electricity. Just a click.

One click, and the world as he knew it ceased to be.

"What about the humans?"

"They're on their own now."

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
